Vegetarians & Vegans Support Group

Vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming the flesh of any animal . Veganism excludes all animal products from diet and in some definitions from attire also. Vegetarians have varied motivations including religious, cultural, ethical, aesthetic, environmental, social, economic, health, political, and personal concerns. Join many others in sharing your experiences to...

My vegan child needs to gain weight!

My entire family is vegan including my three year old son. He's been a lean child ever since he was born but I really think he needs to gain some weight- what are some good high calorie vegan dishes that I can make him? I also want to be careful not to gain weight myself or have my husband gain weight. My three year old is a VERY picky eater.. the one thing he really inhales is lasagna.

Have you talked to a pediatrician about your son's weight? My niece is 4 and absolutely tiny. She can pass for a 2 year old in size, although you can definitely tell that she's older. Apparently, she looks exactly like I did at her age and my parents were worried that I was too small...right up until elementary school when I hit a growth spurt and ended up being the 3rd tallest student in my class all the way up through 6th grade. It's hard to say without knowing more about your son but it seems to me that if he's healthy and has plenty of energy he's probably getting enough calories now and is just on the small side.

I don't know what the calorie count is, but I found a great Vegan Alredo sauce online (google Flawless Alfredo).

Also, I like to melt some vegan butter with nutritional yeast and garlic salt to pour onto airpopped popcorn. Everyone in my family absolutely loves it, especially my niece. It's got a great cheesy taste to it.

Eating habits are set in early childhood. Vegetarian diets give your child the chance to learn to enjoy a variety of wonderful, nutritious foods. They provide excellent nutrition for all stages of childhood, from birth through adolescence.

Infants

The best food for newborns is breast-milk, and the longer your baby is breast-fed, the better. If your baby is not being breast-fed, soy formulas are a good alternative and are widely available. Do not use commercial soy milk. Babies have special needs and require a soy formula that is developed especially for those needs.

Infants do not need any nourishment other than breast milk or soy formula for the first several months of life. Breast-fed infants need about two hours a week of sun exposure to make vitamin D. Some infants, especially those who live in cloudy climates, may not make adequate amounts of vitamin D. In that case, vitamin D supplements may be necessary.

Vegetarian women who are breast-feeding should also be certain to include good sources of vitamin B12 in their diets, as intake can affect levels in breast-milk. Foods fortified with cyanocobalamin, the active form of vitamin B12, can provide adequate amounts of this nutrient. A multivitamin may also be taken as directed by your doctor. Breast milk or infant formula should be used for at least the first year of your baby's life.

At about four to five months of age, or when your baby's weight has doubled, other foods can be added to the diet.

Add one new food at a time, at one- to two-week intervals. The following guidelines provide a flexible plan for adding foods to your baby's diet.

Four to Five Months

Introduce iron-fortified infant cereal. Try rice cereal first since it is the least likely to cause allergies. Mix it with a little breast milk or soy formula. Then offer oat or barley cereals to your baby.

Six to Eight Months

Introduce vegetables. They should be thoroughly cooked and mashed. Potatoes, green beans, carrots, and peas are all good first choices
Introduce fruits next. Try mashed bananas, avocados, strained peaches, or applesauce.
By eight months of age, most babies can eat crackers, bread, and dry cereal
Also, by about eight months, infants can begin to eat higher protein foods like tofu or beans that have been cooked well and mashed.

Children

Children have a high calorie and nutrient need, but their stomachs are small. Offer your child frequent snacks, and include some less &quot;bulky&quot; foods like refined grains and fruit juices. Limit juices, however, since children may fill up on them, preferring their sweetness to other foods.

Some foods, such as veggie hot-dogs, carrot sticks, peanuts, and grapes, may present a choking hazard. Be sure to cut foods into small pieces and encourage children to chew their food well before swallowing.

Calorie needs vary from child to child. The following guidelines are general ones.

Food Groups for Children

Breads, cereals, and grains include all breads, rolls, flatbreads, hot and cold cereals, pasta, cooked grains such as rice and barley, and crackers.

To add more calories to the diet, include more servings of nut butters, dried fruits, soy products, and other high-calorie foods.

Be sure to include a reliable source of vitamin B12 on a regular basis. Good sources include Vegetarian Support Formula nutritional yeast, vitamin B12-fortified foods, such as soy milk, breakfast cereals, meat analogues, and vitamin B12 supplements.

If children do not get regular sun exposure (exposing hands and face to 20 to 30 minutes of summer sun two to three times per week), which promotes vitamin D synthesis, fortified foods and supplements are available.

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